Kodak EasyShare Blackout =(

I don't know if I need to post this somewhere else but I have a Kodak Easy Share LS443 digital camera and it has blacked out on me. =( I tried all the stuff on kodak's site. Removing the battery for 24 hours, and whatever else they had (been a while) but to no avail. Does anyone know of any tricks I can try to get this thing back? It cost me 600 bucks (which is a lot for me). Basically when you turn it on, the lens cover is open and everything but the digital display is black. Attempting to take a picture yields a black picture. =( I really love my digi-cam cuz I can take pictures, edit them and I can take a ton of pictures without worrying about film.. but then it dies on me (of course just past warranty). Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. I would even consider taking this thing apart to see if I could fix it. I understand there is a lawsuit pending about this particular camera... what luck I have.. picking the camera that gets sued.

See you should keep cameras under lock and key. You take your eyes off them for a moment and they run out, get drunk, assault someone, and you got a lawsuit on your hands.

On a serious note, does it make a clicking sound, and more importantly did it ever? Presumably some of these point and shoots actually have a shutter in them so if you are taking pictures and hear nothing then the shutter mechanism is jammed or dead. I am not sure if this type of mechanical failure is worth fixing. Maybe others can shed some light.

the more i research this, the worse I feel...
every owner of this camera seems to report the same problem.. after 2-3 years.. black screen of death. So basically it sounds like i'm just screwed out of 600 bucks by kodak. :-x

They should put in their purchase agreement something like, "we don't guarantee the life of this product will exceed 3 years."

Actually, Kodak was known for there cameras. They just did a nose dive in the 1980's and 1990's. Their last good cameras were the DCS series of digitals that studios and the wire services used built mostly on Nikon pro film bodies, a few were Canon's as well. But yes, Kodak has not been a real quality player in a while.

I would never spend over $300 unless it was an SLR. EasyShare line is pretty much the point and shoot market with digital zooms and the like. If that's all you want from a camera though, perhaps that was the best camera you'd ever need. I just think $300+ is pricey for a viewfinder model. I got my SLR Olympus e-500 for $590.

I say this because if you've had your easyshare for a while I'm sure you've given it some use, especially if you're in to photography. However, the easyshare camera is more marketed to people who just want to take a snapshot on birthdays and such. It's not for the serious people who are going to be taking it off the charger all the time. Does that make sense? I just don't think the easyshare line was designed to be used and abused like an SLR is. The factory defect wouldn't bother most people, as they'd run out and grab another point-n-shoot when the next birthday was coming up. Back when I use to use point and shoots, thats what I'd do anyway.

I really view the easyshare line of cameras as cheap cameras. I had one and the USB port/plug on the side of the camera fell right out of the camera. Maybe it was a bad solder joint with the printed circuit board of the camera. I don't know. It basically made the camera useless though because getting the flash card out was near impossible without a pair of needle nose pliers. I didn't even shoot with that camera that often. It's pretty lame when the I/O ports on your camera are coming right off the circuit board!

I wish I could help with this one, but all I have to offer are similar experiences with electronics. Now before I make a major purchase I google "Name of Product" and "Problems" (and sometimes "Name of Seller" and "Problems"). That way you can find out the typical problems people have before you buy. I know it doesn't help much for your current problem, but it will save you headaches in the future. Good luck with your camera.